The Untold Truth Of Gal Gadot
Few movie stars have as much screen presence as Gal Gadot has shown over her short yet busy career in Hollywood. After emerging from the world of modeling, Gadot first made waves with supporting roles in films like "Fast & Furious" and "Date Night," before catching the mainstream public's attention when she was cast as Wonder Woman in 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." The role, which she has reprised in multiple feature films, turned Gadot into a worldwide superstar practically overnight.
Since her debut as one of DC's most iconic superheroes, Gadot has made quite a name for herself, sharing the screen with stars like Ryan Reynolds, Kate Winslet, and Kenneth Branagh throughout her career. On top of that, she's also become recognizable off-screen, modeling for boutique fashion brands and product endorsements. However, with the success that Gadot has achieved also comes its fair share of criticism.
Nevertheless, Gal Gadot has had a rich and varied career, and has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon. However, there are some aspects of her life that fans may be unaware of — especially concerning some of her most famous roles, and most infamous cover of a former Beatle's protest song.
Gal Gadot is very connected to her Jewish heritage
Gal Gadot was originally born and raised in Israel, which is a place she's remained very connected to in her adult life. Although she grew up in a suburban neighborhood in Tel Aviv, she attributes most of her interests to an athletic childhood. As a teenager, she played a variety of sports growing up and took dance classes as a pre-teen, although acting was never an interest or passion of hers during this time. However, it wasn't just extracurricular activities that influenced her during her upbringing.
Growing up in a Jewish family in Israel, Gadot spent much of her youth learning about her family's cultural background and how they were affected by the Holocaust, with her grandparents being survivors of the genocide. As she later described in an interview recalling a school trip she took to Majdanek concentration camp, "I returned to Israel more mature, and the circle closed when I cried with my grandfather" (via Ynet).
Gadot's upbringing in Israel also led her to enlist in a mandatory two years of service in the Israel Defense Forces when she was 20 years old. After serving, she attended Reichman University (then known as IDC Herzliya) to study law and international relations, still unaware of the future life she would have in Hollywood.
She accidentally became Miss Israel
To her surprise, Gal Gadot's first big break happened completely by accident. At only 18 years old, Gadot's mother suggested she try out for the Miss Israel beauty pageant to pass the time before enlisting in the IDF. As it turned out, Gadot was a natural at modeling, and ended up being crowned Miss Israel. As she later told W Magazine, "I got in and I never thought I would win and then I won and then it scared me. I was like, 'What? Miss Israel? All the responsibility of being Miss Israel?'"
After winning Miss Israel, Gadot went on to compete for the title of Miss Universe 2004, although she didn't have to endure the pressure of winning this time around. The international recognition was enough to kickstart her modeling career, which included a controversial appearance in Maxim's 2007 photoshoot highlighting women who served in the IDF.
Gadot's career continued to take off as she became involved in brand deals for Captain Morgan and Gucci. Soon enough, this led to her acting debut in the 2008 Israeli TV series "Bubot," centered around the modeling world, paving the way for bigger opportunities.
She was cast in Fast & Furious due to her military background
Gal Gadot's life changed when she was offered an audition for the 2008 James Bond film "Quantum of Solace" starring Daniel Craig, which she lost to Olga Kurylenko. She was hesitant to accept the offer in the first place, frightened by the film's requirement for her to speak English, which was not her first language. However, she overcame her qualms and was noticed by the film's casting director, putting her on the radar for the fourth "Fast & Furious" film.
As Gal later alleged, her military background was influential in "Fast & Furious" director Justin Lin's decision to cast her, as Gadot's experience with weapons and combat allowed her to do her own stunts. She appears in the franchise as Gisele Yashar, a drug smuggling liaison who becomes part of Dominic Toretto's heist crew in subsequent films. Gadot reprised her role as Gisele in "Fast Five," "Fast & Furious 6," as well as a cameo appearance in 2023's "Fast X."
Her role in the "Fast & Furious" films eventually led to more consistent appearances from Gadot in action films throughout the early 2010s, including "Date Night" and the 2016 thriller "Triple 9." Though these roles showcased her affinity for stunts, they would pale in comparison to the boots she was about to step into.
Gadot's casting as Wonder Woman was initially criticized
Most people first came to know of Gal Gadot when it was announced that she would be portraying the iconic superheroine Wonder Woman in Zack Snyder's 2016 follow-up to "Man of Steel," "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." The audition process came as quite a shock to Gadot, who auditioned for Snyder before learning she was up for the part of Wonder Woman. On what she found most relatable about the character, Gadot told Variety, "Everything she stands for is something I can relate to. She's very compassionate; she's all about love and peace."
Although Gadot was thrilled to be given the opportunity to play the character, many DC fans critiqued her casting, feeling that the Israeli model did not accurately resemble Wonder Woman from the comic books. Gadot was not their only target, though, as fans also had reservations about the casting of Affleck as Bruce Wayne, as well as Jesse Eisenberg as Superman's arch-nemesis Lex Luthor.
Thankfully, Gadot didn't let the negativity get to her, and instead focused on making sure she was physically prepared to take on the role of a demigod-turned-Justice League member. Throughout her preparation for appearing in "Batman v Superman," Gadot trained in kickboxing, sword-fighting, and other forms of martial arts, as well as keeping a strict training regimen.
Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins had a symbiotic relationship while making Wonder Woman
One person who was also distraught by the casting of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman was Patty Jenkins, albeit for different reasons. Having signed on to write and direct Wonder Woman's solo film debut, Jenkins was disappointed at not getting an opportunity to cast the character herself. However, Jenkins quickly realized by watching Gadot that Zack Snyder had made the perfect choice, later telling Playboy, "I think they did a better job than I could have because I don't know that I would have scoured the earth as hard to find her."
When she and Gadot first met to discuss the project over a four-hour dinner, their conversation only cemented their belief that they would work well together. In "Wonder Woman" — which takes place before the events of "Batman v Superman," during the 1910s — Diana Prince is summoned from her remote island of Themyscira to help an American spy named Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, end the war to end all wars.
Gadot and Jenkins became inseparable on the set of the 2017 film, spending six days of the week shooting and their days off together. Eventually, their hard work and commitment to each other paid off, as "Wonder Woman" became one of the biggest films of 2017.
At home, Gadot is much different as a parent
Though her career has shown her to be a hard-working individual, Gadot has put even more effort into her home life. In 2008, she married Jason Varsano, who works in Israeli real estate, and as of 2023, the two have three children together, the youngest of whom was born in 2021 shortly after the release of "Wonder Woman 1984."
In fact, prior to the release of the very first "Wonder Woman" movie, Gadot already had two children, which certainly made the mission of perfecting the character for a newer generation of young girls all the more personal for her. Gadot is notoriously private about her family life, although she surprised tabloids and celebrity media with a social media photo of her family in 2021 after the birth of her youngest.
Although she has self-deprecatingly criticized her own parenting, calling herself "the annoying mom who doesn't let them have enough screen time and says no all the time" during an interview with Conan O'Brien, her children are a huge motivation in her life. Her kids, as well as her husband, even had cameos at the end of "Wonder Woman 1984" alongside Patty Jenkins' own kids, a moment Gadot considered incredibly meaningful.
Her SNL hosting debut made history in Israel
Gal Gadot officially became pop culture royalty shortly after the release of "Wonder Woman" in 2017, when she was invited to host "Saturday Night Live" during its 43rd season. As far as first-time hosts go, Gadot did a bang-up job, with Vulture commending her monologue, writing, "it's sweet and it's got energy." The monologue also allowed Gadot to address a historic moment in "Saturday Night Live" history, as the show aired live for the first time in Israel to pay tribute to Gadot's heritage.
In a comedic moment directly addressing the Hebrew-speaking audience of "Saturday Night Live" that week, Gadot tells them that she thinks hosting the show was a mistake because the writers know nothing about Israel. For what it's worth, Gadot proved herself wrong with some of her sketch appearances, including "First Date," where she plays an oblivious romantic interest of O.J. Simpson (played by Kenan Thompson). She also shined in "Mirage," as well as "E! New Line Up," the latter of which has her playing double duty as Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid.
Of course, the episode couldn't go without a "Wonder Woman" parody, which finds Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant as women who wash up ashore on Themyscira perplexed to find that the Amazons aren't attracted to each other.
She helped honor Wonder Woman at the United Nations
As the current face of "Wonder Woman," portraying the character also means that Gal Gadot is entrusted with being a role model for young girls and women across the world. This is something she shares with Lynda Carter, who portrayed the character in the 1970s TV series (and also cameoed in "Wonder Woman 1984").
The two actresses finally appeared together alongside "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins and DC president Diane Nelson at the United Nations in 2016 to help anoint the character of Wonder Woman as the UN's Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. The gesture was meant to raise awareness for Sustainable Development Goal No. 5, which targeted issues of gender equality internationally, as well as to honor the 75th anniversary of the character's first appearance in DC Comics.
There's no happy ending to this heartfelt moment, though. They were met with controversy over the fictional character's ability to represent women, and UN staff members successfully petitioned to have the honor revoked. A spokesperson for the UN said, "The objective was to reach out to Wonder Woman fans to raise awareness of UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 5. We did that. We are very happy," (via CNN).
Gadot does not regret her Imagine cover
None of the previously mentioned controversies even come close to Gal Gadot's most public debacle. After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down production on hundreds of movies and TV shows across the world as people were mandated by their governments to stay indoors, Gadot was inspired by a viral video she had seen while in quarantine, and teamed up with 24 other celebrities (including Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, and Natalie Portman) to film an a capella sing-along to John Lennon's iconic protest song "Imagine."
Unfortunately, the video did not have the desired effect Gadot had intended, resulting in criticism as well as widespread Internet mockery. In an article from VICE which called the video "tone-deaf," they wrote, "In a country where only the privileged seem to have access to adequate testing, the last thing we want to watch is a remix of rich people quarantining in their mansions telling us to 'imagine' a better world."
Gadot has since apologized for how the video came across, admitting that it was in poor taste, but has remained staunchly insistent that there were good intentions behind it. She even poked fun at the video herself during Elle Magazine's Women in Hollywood awards, where she began her acceptance speech by singing the first few lines of the song.
Heart of Stone came from Gadot's desire to see more female-led action films
As indicated by Gal Gadot's latest film, the Israeli actress has no intentions of stepping away from action films like "Fast & Furious" and "Wonder Woman." In Netflix's "Heart of Stone," she stars as an MI6 agent who is put in charge of protecting an A.I. system core known as "the Heart," making her the target of international criminals who want the valuable MacGuffin.
Additionally, Gadot was more involved in this film from the producing side. Alongside her husband, Gadot started a production company, Pilot Wave, with the intention of creating "Heart of Stone" as an action franchise of her own. However, this time around, Gadot relished the fact that they were getting to make an action film that centered around female characters, telling The Wrap, "I love these movies. I love the action, and the twists and turns and drama, the scope."
Although reviews for "Heart of Stone" have been less than ideal, Gadot still proves her worth as an entertaining action star capable of doing her own stunts, which means there will always be an audience willing to watch her perform. However, fans may have to get used to seeing her outside of the DC universe.
Her future as Wonder Woman seems unclear
Gadot's first two theatrical appearances as Wonder Woman seemed promising, but things haven't been going so well for the DC Cinematic Universe. She last appeared significantly in Zack Snyder's directorial cut of "Justice League," which premiered on HBO Max in 2021, but since then she's only reprised the role in uncredited cameo appearances in 2023's "Shazam: Fury of the Gods" and "The Flash," the latter of which is one of DC Studios' biggest box office bombs in recent memory.
However, DC fans have hope that things will improve now that James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken over as co-Chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios. Their vision for the DC Cinematic Universe has already been laid out and looks promising, including a brand-new take on characters like Superman and Batman, as well as an HBO Max series centered on the island of Themyscira titled "Paradise Lost." Sadly, there is no update on a future sequel to "Wonder Woman 1984."
Gal Gadot, however, was optimistic about her return as the character. Gadot alleged that she had met with Gunn and Safran to discuss a future for the character of Wonder Woman, until it was contradicted by a report in August 2023 by Variety that no such continuation had been promised. Perhaps the studio is just being coy, but considering that Jenkins has already walked away from the project, Gadot's tenure as Wonder Woman may be over.
Gadot's next projects are re-imaginings of Hollywood classics
Though "Wonder Woman 3" isn't on Gal Gadot's schedule, she has many upcoming projects that fans should mark on their calendars. The first is Disney's live-action remake of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," starring Rachel Zegler as the titular princess and Gadot as the Evil Queen. Although previous remakes from Disney have been critically panned in recent years, this one boasts a writing credit from recent "Barbie" filmmaker Greta Gerwig, so fans have good reason to be excited.
Some of Gadot's other upcoming projects include re-imaginings of Hollywood classics, including a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief," in which Gadot is set to star. She's also attached to a biopic about the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, though it has hit several production delays since Patty Jenkins abandoned directorial duties — to say nothing of the controversy surrounding her casting as an Israeli actress in an Egyptian role. As Gadot told Variety about her take on the character: "All I ever saw in regards to Cleopatra from film was that she was this seductive woman who had an affair with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. But the truth is, there's so much more to her."